'YOUTH WITHOUT YOUTH' NOT A RETURN TO FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA'S PRIME.

Byline: GLENN WHIPP 

>FILM CRITIC

Too passionately well-crafted in places to dismiss outright, too sloppy and nutty to hail as a full-fledged comeback, Francis Ford Coppola's "Youth Without Youth" finds the one-time great filmmaker struggling to find his way back into a medium he has helped define.

Put it this way: It's better than "Jack." But it's no late-game masterpiece, mostly because age hasn't reined in the 68-year-old Coppola's penchant for self-indulgence. That bullheadedness served him well when he was in his focused prime, but "Youth" is a mess clearly in need of a second set of eyes.

The movie is a modestly budgeted adaptation of Romanian philosopher Mircea Eliade's novella about 70-year-old Romanian linguistics professor Dominic Matei (Tim Roth) who is hit by a bolt of lightning just as he's about to off himself. Instead of killing him, the jolt of electricity turns Dominic into a something of an X-Men mutant, a fountain-of-youth freak possessing telekinetic powers, not to mention a Hyde double.

"This is no longer a case of a living dead man, but of something else entirely ... of what we do not know," gravely intones Bruno Ganz's doctor.

Since the story takes place on the eve of World War II, it's not long before a Nazi mad scientist (Andr(hrt) Hennicke) comes calling, looking to put Dominic to good use for the Fatherland. This section of the movie also introduces a sexy SS undercover agent (Alexandra Pirici), sports a blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo by Matt Damon and features the movie year's second coming of Shiva the Destroyer. (Clooney still owns the god, though.)

"Youth" then jumps into another decade (the '50s) and into yet another genre when yet another person is struck by lightning, this time the beautiful Veronica (Alexandra Maria Lara, whose cheekbones compensate for any acting shortcomings).

Turns out Veronica is the reincarnation of Dominic's true love, not to mention the key to his life's work. Next to Thor's love pat, she's the best thing to ever happen to him. For Veronica, though, the relationship comes with its share of pitfalls, not the least of which includes nightly visits from the ghost of little Linda Blair.

If Coppola had picked one genre or even, say, two from the following list -- period romance, sci-fi horror, fever-dream head-trip, overwrought salute to Italian cinema -- or somehow managed to connect them all in anything but a piecemeal fashion, "Youth Without Youth" could have been something special.

Instead it veers between silliness and seriousness, desperate to be taken seriously (the film is way too chatty), yet seemingly aware of its inherent insanity. At least, it's Coppola pursuing something personal. Better to fail at something like this than make a capably generic Grisham adaptation like "The Rainmaker."

Glenn Whipp, [phone]

[e-mail]

YOUTH WITHOUT YOUTH - Two and one half stars

>R: some sexuality, nudity, brief disturbing image.

>Starring: Tim Roth, Alexandra Maria Lara, Bruno Ganz.

>Director: Francis Ford Coppola.

>Running time: 2 hr. 1 min.

>Playing: ArcLight in Sherman Oaks; ArcLight in Hollywood; The Landmark in West Los Angeles.

>In a nutshell: Coppola's first film in a decade is too well-crafted to dismiss, too nutty to hail as a comeback.

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There's plenty of electricity -- literally -- between Alexandra Maria Lara and Tim Roth in "Youth Without Youth," directed by Francis Ford Coppola.